ISLAMABAD - Ministry of Interior yesterday rejected allegations that it caused unnecessary delay in issuance of passport to former Pakistan's Ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani who has been facing Memogate scandal in the past.
The Ministry contradicted some media reports that there was unnecessary delay in the issuance of passport to former Ambassador from the government of Pakistan and clarified that Directorate of Passports issued him the travelling document within required timeframe, a spokesman of the Ministry said.
“There is no truth in media reports about delay in issuance of passport to former envoy," the spokesman said ,adding, that the passport to Hussain Haqqani was issued within required timeframe after receiving application from him and it was sent to Pakistan embassy in Washington as per set procedure.
It would be inappropriate to hold Ministry of Interior responsible for delay in this regard, the spokesman added.
According to some media reports, Hussain Haqqani had applied for a new Pakistani passport 11 weeks ago but has not yet received it.
It was alleged that perhaps the Government of Pakistan did not want to issue him passport for his alleged anti-Pakistan views.
Since the introduction of new computerised system, Pakistan Embassy in Washington forwards all applications of passports to Islamabad.
Haqqani had applied for an urgent passport on June 8 but he did not get the same after passage of 11 weeks-a claim that Haqqani made before the media.
Haqqani had to face the Memogate scandal involving a shady memo as well as trial of Supreme Court's Judicial Commission in 2012 days after he returned to Pakistan following his resignation to end a stand off between the civilian and military leadership of the country.
The memo had allegedly accused the Army of plotting a coup after the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.